Wine comes in at the mouth And love comes in at the eye; I lift the glass to my mouth, I look at you, and I sigh. W. B. Yeats, A Drinking Song
The Castle We Saw from the Motorway
Our visit to Carcassonne began with a glimpse from a car window. During our 2007 road trip around France, we were driving from Nice towards Rocamadour when we pulled into a parking area on the A61 motorway and spotted a castle on the horizon. We did not know what it was. Only later did we realise it was Carcassonne, and we put it on the list for another time.
That “another time” arrived sixteen years later. We found a good deal on flights to Carcassonne Airport and booked an extended weekend in mid-October 2023: three full days and an afternoon. As we suspected that Carcassonne itself might not fill the whole weekend, we also planned a day trip to Toulouse.
As on many of our short breaks, we flew with Ryanair from London Stansted. We took only cabin bags, so the flights were very good value, costing not much more than £100 for two. The biggest expense turned out to be getting to Stansted and parking the car there.
This time, we also decided to rely entirely on public transport at our destination. It worked very well: an airport shuttle into Carcassonne, a train to Toulouse and back, and local transport for the occasional longer journey.
Getting from Carcassonne Airport to the Town
A shuttle bus connects Carcassonne Airport with the town centre, with departures coordinated with flight arrivals. When we visited, the bus left around 45 minutes after each flight arrived, and the fare was €6 per person, payable on board.
The bus was quite full, and we were lucky to get on, so we would recommend heading straight to the stop after collecting your luggage.
The service is still operating, and the current RTCA information states that the airport shuttle departs approximately 25 minutes after each flight arrives. The fare remains €6, with tickets available from the driver or through the RTCA mobile app. Check the official RTCA airport shuttle information before travelling, as timings can change.
For couples: if you have booked a late flight, check the shuttle arrangements before relying on public transport to reach your accommodation.
Where We Stayed in Carcassonne
We stayed in an apartment called MontSéjour at 38 rue Pierre Germain, which cost roughly €180 for four nights, or about €45 a night. It was spacious enough for two, clean and simple, and very good value.
What we liked most was the location: close to the town centre, yet in a quiet neighbourhood away from the crowds. There was no formal check-in or check-out. All the instructions for entering and leaving the apartment were sent by email. As usual, we booked through Booking.com.
For a short break like this, we appreciated having somewhere comfortable to return to after a full day out, without spending too much on accommodation.
A Chocolate and Wine Tasting Tour, with a Guide Just for Us
On our first morning, we had booked a chocolate and wine tasting tour. At the time, tours for just two people cost €95 per person, with the price falling to €85 if more people joined. We were the only two participants, which meant more of the guide’s attention, and we were happy with that.
The tour lasted about four and a half hours. It included handmade chocolate and local wine tastings, a walk by the river, and some entertaining historical stories about Carcassonne. It was led in English by an English expatriate. We thought it was good value for the experience.
We cannot be certain that it was the same operator, but Cocoa & Grapes Tours en Bastide de Carcassonne, listed on the Grand Carcassonne tourism website, offers a similar experience. Check the Grand Carcassonne tourism website for current options.
For couples: a small guided tour with just the two of you is a lovely way to start a short break. You get some history without committing to a long museum visit, and a few hours of tasting help set the mood for the rest of the weekend.
Eating and Drinking in Carcassonne
France is always about food and wine for us, and this trip was no different.
On the night we arrived, we ate at L’Escargot, at 7 rue Viollet-le-Duc. The food was tasty and the service excellent. We had the best escargots we had ever eaten, along with very good wine. As it was still warm, we sat outside and enjoyed the town after dark over dinner. Many other places were also open, but we were very happy with our choice.
During our stay, we visited one of the weekly farmers’ markets, which turned out to be a really good experience. We got the impression that there was something happening in the town almost every day, so it was worth strolling around and seeing what we could find.
On one visit, we bought a half-litre jar of meat pâté. It was a delicious-looking souvenir, but it led to the one sour note of the trip.
The Pâté Problem at Airport Security
On the way home, airport security would not let us take the jar through. We tried hard to explain that pâté is not a liquid, but the officer would not agree. Rather than risk missing our flight, we gave in and left it at security.
We hope somebody enjoyed it on our behalf. Bon appétit!
A practical tip from this: under the usual hand-luggage rules in Europe, pastes and spreads are generally treated like liquids, so a jar of pâté needs to go in your checked bag. If you travel with cabin bags only, as we did, it is better to eat it before you fly. Firmer foods such as hard cheese or dried sausage travel more easily.
It seemed strange to us, but we took it as a bitter lesson rather than a complaint. Security officers are always right, especially at an airport.
Château Comtal and the Walled Cité
The castle we had seen from the motorway turned out to be the Château Comtal, the count’s castle within the medieval walled Cité of Carcassonne. It was well worth the visit: large and atmospheric, with views over the surrounding countryside and the lower town.
The Cité de Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its ramparts and fortifications were extensively restored in the nineteenth century by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, and the street where we had our first dinner is named after him. The restoration is partly responsible for the storybook appearance of the fortress, although some aspects of the work have long been debated by historians.
Whatever the historical arguments, the place looks and feels like a fairy-tale fortress. After first seeing it from the motorway sixteen years earlier, finally walking among its walls and towers was particularly satisfying.
At the time of our visit, an adult ticket to the castle cost €9. Prices have since changed, so check the official monument website for current admission charges and opening times before visiting. Opening arrangements vary by season.
Crossing the Pont Vieux
We crossed the Pont Vieux, or Old Bridge, over the River Aude several times. Rather than using the newer bridge, we usually chose this historic crossing, which largely dates from the fourteenth century.
It became part of our daily route between the lower town and the Cité. As well as being practical, the walk gave us another perspective on Carcassonne, with the fortified city rising above the river and the surrounding landscape.
It was one of those simple travel pleasures that do not require a ticket or a carefully planned activity: just taking a slightly more scenic route together.
A Day Trip to Toulouse by Train
Another morning, we walked about twenty minutes from our apartment to Carcassonne station and took the train to Toulouse. A ticket cost around €10 each way per person, and the journey took roughly an hour on a comfortable train.
To make the most of the day, we left Carcassonne at around half past seven in the morning and planned to return after sunset. We even watched the sunset from the train window on the way back.
Toulouse is the capital of the Occitanie region, which was created in 2016 through the merger of the former regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. We had not known this before our visit, and the name Occitanie appeared frequently during our time in the area.
We visited the Victor Hugo Market and Place du Capitole, walked along the riverfront and explored the other side of the River Garonne. We then headed down the main shopping street, Rue d’Alsace-Lorraine, before visiting Galeries Lafayette for a coffee on the terrace.
That last stop has become a little tradition of ours whenever we travel in France. We also had coffee at Galeries Lafayette in Strasbourg during our Easter trip, and in Paris we enjoyed views of Sacré-Cœur from its rooftop.
To be honest, our excitement at looking around the food stalls was much greater than our willingness to buy anything. The prices seemed incredibly high to us. We are used to markets being cheaper than average, but this was not our experience in Toulouse. We wandered around and eventually bought only a few pieces of meat that we could not resist trying later at home.
We returned to Carcassonne late in the evening, very tired but very happy, knowing that a reward was waiting for us the following day.
The Reward: Wine Tasting at Domaine de Baronarques
Our reward was a tasting at Domaine de Baronarques, in Saint-Polycarpe, outside Carcassonne in the Limoux wine area. We looked around the winery and enjoyed the tasting. The wines were interesting, and the visit gave us another reason to appreciate this part of southern France.
The estate is outside the city, so getting there required a little planning. We took a taxi on the way out but returned by bus, realising that we could have saved quite a bit of money by taking the bus in both directions. The bus took a while to arrive, but we used the time to wander around and enjoy the surrounding area.
For anyone planning a similar visit, it is worth checking transport connections and arranging the tasting in advance. The estate currently asks visitors to reserve, and its published visiting arrangements vary by day and season.
For couples: a vineyard tasting was the natural romantic highlight of our Carcassonne break. Plan the transport in advance so that neither of you has to drive, and you can both enjoy the wine without worrying about the journey back.
Our Last Evening in Carcassonne
For the rest of our time, we wandered through the streets of the town centre and stopped at a few pleasant cafés. We understood that fruit and vegetables were available on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, but market schedules can change, so it is worth checking locally if you are planning your visit around a particular market.
On our last night, we enjoyed the local evening market before our early flight home.
It was quite crowded, and the evening seemed to be a special event. Such unexpected occasions are a pleasant surprise on many of our trips. We stopped at several food stalls to taste what was on offer, much of it presented as produce from local farmers.
It was a relaxed way to finish the weekend: good food, a little local atmosphere and no need to rush from one attraction to another.
Carcassonne by Public Transport: Our Verdict
Carcassonne turned out to be just the right size for a long weekend. We had time to explore the castle properly, enjoy wine tastings at our own pace and still set aside a day for somewhere bigger.
Travelling by public transport proved easier than we expected, and we would happily do it again. There are already several countries where we prefer public transport, including Germany, Switzerland and France in Europe, as well as Thailand, Myanmar and China in Asia.
For us, the combination worked particularly well: a medieval fortress, good food, local wine and a day exploring Toulouse, all without needing to drive. The trip also brought a satisfying end to a little story that had started sixteen years earlier, with a castle spotted from a motorway.
Carcassonne and Toulouse make a good pairing for couples who enjoy exploring at a relaxed pace, with enough history and sightseeing to fill the days and good food and wine to make the evenings special.
Costs at a Glance (Our October 2023 Visit)
These are the prices we paid or recorded during our trip in October 2023, rather than current prices.
- Flights: Ryanair, cabin bags only – not much more than €100 for two
- Airport shuttle: €6 per person
- Apartment: €180 for four nights
- Chocolate and wine tour: €85-€95 per person
- Train to Toulouse: around €10 each way per person
- Château Comtal: €9 per adult
For more road trips and short breaks across the region, visit our Western Europe Travel Guide for Couples
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About the Author
The author, ainarsbl, is a Level 7 Google Local Guide, Master Reviewer and expert travel reviewer focused on scenic landscapes, UNESCO sites and meaningful couples travel experiences.